Monday, August 03, 2015

A Central Massachusetts winery that was located on the premises of an historic farm has been destroyed in a massive fire.

According to a post from the Worcester Telegram, Obadiah McIntyre Farm Winery in Charlton went up in flames last night, with 4,000 gallons of wine perishing in the blaze and the structure being a total loss. The article says that the winery, which was located at Charlton Orchards Farm, also lost all of its winemaking equipment, and that firefighters from surrounding communities (Leicester, Quinebaug, Spencer, Sturbridge, Webster) tried to help battle the blaze, but to no avail.

[August 6 update: The Boston Globe is now reporting that the fire at Obadiah McIntyre Farm Winery was arson, according to officials, with the State Fire Marshal's office saying it was "deliberately set" and that "all other potential accidental causes in the area of origin have been eliminated." (The article says that no suspects have been identified as of yet.)]

Charlton Orchards Farm dates back to 1733, with the winery opening in 2002, according to a page on the farm's website.